Netscape DIRECTORY SERVER 6.01 - DEPLOYMENT Deployment Manual page 61

Following are some guidelines for designing your directory tree hierarchy:
• Branch your tree to represent only the largest organizational subdivisions in
your enterprise.
Any such branch points should be limited to divisions (Corporate Information
Services, Customer Support, Sales and Professional Services, and so forth).
Make sure that divisions you use to branch your directory tree are stable; do
not perform this kind of branching if your enterprise reorganizes frequently.
• Use functional or generic names rather than actual organizational names for
your branch points.
Names change and you do not want to have to change your directory tree
every time your enterprise renames its divisions. Instead, use generic names
that represent the function of the organization (for example, use
instead of
Widget Research and Development
• If you have multiple organizations that perform similar functions, try creating
a single branch point for that function instead of branching based along
divisional lines.
For example, even if you have multiple marketing organizations, each of which
is responsible for a specific product line, create a single Marketing subtree. All
marketing entries then belong to that tree.
Following are specific guidelines for the enterprise and hosting environment.
Branching in an Enterprise Environment
Name changes can be avoided if you base your directory tree structure on
information that is not likely to change. For example, base the structure on types of
objects in the tree rather than organizations. Some of the objects you might use to
define your structure are:
•
ou=people
•
ou=groups
•
ou=contractors
•
ou=employees
•
ou=services
A directory tree organized using these objects might appear as shown below.
Designing Your Directory Tree
Engineering
).
Chapter 4 Designing the Directory Tree 61